$2M adventure park coming to West Oahu

A 35-acre property on Roosevelt Avenue in Kalaeloa is covered with tall grass, thorny shrubs and trees.

It will eventually be turned into Coral Crater Adventure Park, an outdoor playground for adults and kids that will feature zip lines.

"It's a tandem zip line. It's going to leave from here and go back towards the beginning which is over there," said James Owen.

He was overlooking what used to be a coral quarry the Navy used for material to build its airport runways.

Owen came up with the idea for an adventure park on the property. He's been working on his plan for six years, figuring out how to lay out a mile-long dune buggy track and a course for electric powered mountain bikes. There will be rock climbing and repelling, a giant swing and free-fall experience and laser tag.

"We're buying some tactical laser tag guns. That will allow us to do laser tag battles and use them in various parts of the property," Owen said.

The park will employ about 30 people.

"Surely that's where we can play. But more importantly I think that will be job production, some place that the kids or whomever could get a job within the community that they live, and take away from the traffic," Makakilo-Kapolei Neighborhood Board chair Evelyn Souza said.

Most of the adventure activities will be in a 10-acre crater. The park will also have a gathering place for families.

"We're putting in a picnic area that will have barbeques and allow people to come and cook their own food or buy food from some food vendors," Owen said.

Ewa historian John Bond isn't opposed to the park but he is concerned part of the property includes a natural basin for storm water runoff.

"The area during heavy rains which happen periodically will create a lot of flood water that will fill up what is a holding pond, also called a dry well," Bond said.

Owen said the property owner, Hunt Companies, did a thorough check of potential environmental impacts.

"Our footprint is so small. We won't impede any potential drainage issues," he said.

Owen has a 10-year lease`for the property and more adventures planned for his $2 million park that is set to open in September.